Finding a Kita Place

Every child in Germany has a legal right (Rechtsanspruch, under §24 SGB VIII) to a Kita or family daycare place from their first birthday — but exercising that right in practice means registering early and working the system in your specific city.

Quick Summary

You apply through your city’s Kita portal, directly with individual Kitas, or both — approaches differ by city. Register 9–12 months before you need the place, since demand regularly exceeds supply in larger cities. Costs vary enormously by state, from free to several hundred euros a month.

Who Needs This

• You have a child under 6 who needs daycare or kindergarten
• You’re moving to a German city and want to start the process before or right after arrival
• You want to understand what a Kita place actually costs where you’re moving to

Step-By-Step: Applying

1. Check your city’s central Kita portal, if it has one (see below) — many larger cities now run an online system covering most providers.
2. Register 9–12 months ahead of when you want the place to start; in high-demand cities, registering even earlier doesn’t hurt.
3. Don’t rely on a single waiting list — register with several individual Kitas directly in addition to any city portal, since availability and process vary provider to provider.
4. Specify your desired care scope (part-time or full-time) and preferred start date clearly on each application.
5. If your child is under 3, expect this to be more competitive than for ages 3+ — many states prioritize or subsidize the 3+ age group more heavily.
6. Once offered a place, confirm quickly — offers are often time-limited and go to the next family on the list if you delay.
7. If you’re refused a place after your child’s 1st birthday despite applying, you can contact your local Jugendamt in writing and formally assert your legal right (Rechtsanspruch); as a last resort this is enforceable through administrative court.

City Kita-Finder Portals

Berlin

Kita-Navigator — search by availability, pedagogical approach, or multilingual programs, and contact Kitas directly. Berlin uses a Kitagutschein (voucher) system alongside this.

Munich

kita finder+ — the city’s central application portal for most Munich Kitas.

Frankfurt

kindernetfrankfurt.de bundles childcare offers from different providers; you can pre-register online and receive suitable offers.

Hamburg

Kita-Infosystem (search citywide or by district) and the Elbkinder Kita-Finder for radius-based searches around your address.

For other cities, search “[your city] Kita-Navigator” or “[your city] Kitaplatz beantragen,” or check the nationwide overview at the Deutscher Bildungsserver, or simply ask your local Jugendamt directly.

Costs (Vary Significantly By State And City)

• Berlin: essentially free — a modest monthly meal contribution (around €23) is the main regular cost.
• Munich/Bavaria: kindergarten (age 3+) is fee-free; a Krippe place for under-3s is income-capped at roughly €250/month.
• North Rhine-Westphalia: billed on an income scale by the municipality — e.g. around €220/month in Cologne for kindergarten age, more for under-1s.
• Baden-Württemberg: varies widely by city, from free (some cities, age 3+) to over €600/month for younger ages in others.
• Saxony and some other states: no blanket fee exemption — expect to pay, though usually less than the higher end elsewhere.
• Most Kitas charge a separate meal fee (roughly €50–€100/month) regardless of the base fee.

Fees may already be waived for you

If your household receives Wohngeld or Kinderzuschlag, you usually don’t have to pay Kita fees at all — see Wohngeld and Kinderzuschlag. Separately, childcare costs are generally tax-deductible up to €4,000/child/year.

Common Documents

• Child’s birth certificate
• Anmeldung confirmation for the child and family
• Both parents’ passports and residence permits
• Vaccination record (measles vaccination proof is generally required)
• Proof of parents’ work/study status, if your city prioritizes working parents

Common Mistakes

• Waiting until after arrival in Germany to start registering
• Relying on only one Kita’s waiting list
• Not checking whether your city runs a central portal versus needing direct applications to each Kita
• Missing that under-3 places are more competitive than 3+ places in most cities
• Assuming cost is the same everywhere — it varies drastically by state and even by neighboring cities

Important Note

Kita registration systems, fees, and priority criteria are set locally and change periodically. Confirm the current process and cost for your specific city with your Jugendamt or the city’s Kita portal.